Does Car Insurance Cover A Damaged Wing Mirror?
Caeva O'Callaghan | November 3rd, 2023
Someone Knocked My Wing Mirror, Will My Car Insurance Cover for This?
Having a wing mirror clipped is a major inconvenience. But will a job like this be covered under your car insurance policy?
Maybe. Your wing mirrors should have coverage under a comprehensive car insurance policy. However, whether or not you decide to go ahead with making a claim depends on how expensive your wing mirror is to replace or repair.
This is because making a claim on your car insurance will step back your no claims bonus. It may be more cost effective to pay for the wing mirror out of your own pocket.
In this article, we’ll cover the following questions:
- Can I claim for a damaged wing mirror on my car insurance?
- How does making a claim affect my no claims bonus?
- Is it worth claiming on my insurance for a damaged wing mirror?
You may be able to avoid a costly headache if you decide to get the wing mirror fixed yourself. Give us a ring and we’ll be happy to give you advice for your situation.
When someone damages your wing mirror
If you leave your car parked on a road, a careless driver clipping your wing mirror is a big risk. It can cause a lot of damage to the wing mirror, any electrics inside, and any bodywork scraped by the wing mirror as it comes off.
But it’s not just in urban settings where your wing mirror is in danger. If you find yourself driving on rural roads and get stuck in a herd of moving cows, these animals shouldering by your car may tear off your wing mirror fairly easily.
In any case, if the guilty party stops and takes responsibility, you may be able to sort it out between yourselves. The farmer or other driver may offer to pay for the damage, in which case you do not need to involve your insurance at all. This could end up being preferable for both parties.
No matter who or what damaged your wing mirror, you need to fix it pronto. Damage to your windscreen or wing mirrors in particular pose a serious risk to your ability to see what is happening around you. As such, it puts other road users in danger.
Driving with this sort of damage breaches the Road Traffic Act 1988, which states that a driver can be fined if “the condition of a motor vehicle is such that its use involves a danger of injury to any person”. This is why fixing your wing mirror should be a top priority.
Wing mirrors and car insurance
Fixing your wing mirror may be a costly job, or it could be relatively cheap. You need to find out how much it will be to repair or replace before you consider involving your insurance.
This is because the excess you have to pay if you make a claim might outweigh the cost of the wing mirror itself. You don’t have to get your insurance involved in this scenario: you can just go along to a garage and pay for it without having to do claims paperwork or get the incident put on your record. There is no point in creating extra stress and paying a €400 excess fee to replace a €250 wing mirror.
Of course, if you have a particularly expensive car or your wing mirror was modified, the fee to repair or replace it may be much more than the excess. This is exactly when making a claim on your car insurance will work out in your favour.
You should always check if you have the necessary coverage in place first. Give us a call today to find out if your wing mirrors have protection, and if not, how to add the coverage you need to your existing policy.
Your no-claims bonus
If you make a claim on your insurance for any reason, you will lose a part of your no claims bonus. But if you’re paying for bonus protection, the damage won’t be so bad.
If you have partial bonus protection, then your no claims bonus will be stepped back by two years at your next renewal date. That will be roughly 20% of your gross premium. Again, feel free to give us a call to discuss whether it is financially worth it for you to make a claim.
If your car insurance policy has no bonus protection, it is possible that you could lose your entire no claims bonus. This may well be more costly than paying for the replacement of your wing mirror.
If you need to talk to us about car insurance, call us now!
If your car insurance is up for renewal and you need to chat to us about the potential impact on your insurance and cover, feel free to pick up the phone and talk to us anytime Mon-Fri between 8.30am and 5.30pm on 0818 224433 or 042 9359051.
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